When Carol Rugg was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, her fiancé Richard Montmorency thought they'd gotten the "in sickness" part of their marriage out of the way early. Rugg fought the disease with Montmorency as her caregiver, an experience they did not expect to repeat as the years passed with no recurrence.

Paula Wishart is a cancer dodger. Thanks to the University of Michigan Cancer Genetics Clinic, she was diagnosed with Lynch Syndrome, a hereditary condition that greatly increases the chances of developing colon and other cancers earlier in life than what’s considered typical.